Collapsible suitcase



COLLAPSIBLE SUITCASE June 5, 1951 L H, vlNEBERG 2,555,718

COLLAPSIBLE suTcAsE Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE SUITCASE Joseph Hirsch Vineberg, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Application January 2, 1946, Serial No. 638,6391/2 7 Claims. l

This invention relates to collapsible suitcases.

A traveller often accumulates during the course of his travels so many additional articles that the luggage that he has with him will not accommodate them. It is inconvenient to carry a number of parcels but yet the traveler may not have any need `for an additional permanent piece of luggage.

The object kof the present invention is to provide a collapsible suitcase construction adaptable for use both with cheap .materials to provide a collapsible suitcase which is cheap enough that it need not be retained as a permanent piece of luggage or for use with better grade materials to provide a suitcase sufficiently durable to be l retained as a permanent piece of luggage and which may be collapsed or set up at will.

A satisfactory collapsible suitcase must be one which, when collapsed, occupies little space and can easily be carried in a travellers luggage but `yet can be easily assembled to provide an additional suitcase to carry such articles as may be accumulated `on the journey. In order to satisfy the object of the invention mentioned abovethe construction must be one which permits 10W cost manufacture out of either cheap or higher grade materials.

The one-piece constructions ordinarily used for boxes for dresses or the like, which are intended simply to carry light articles from the store to the customers house, do not aord enough strength or rigidity for a suitcase, and other suggested one-piece constructions intended to give additional strength are complicated and dilicult to assemble and involve great waste of material. On the other hand, constructions which require a number of pieces permanently attached by gluing, stapling or some other special operation are undesirable for the construction of cheap suitcases by reason of their expense. Accordingly it is necessary in order to achieve the object of the invention to Vprovide a construction in which a frame separate from the cover member of the suitcase maybe held in place by the latter when the suitcase is set up or may, in suitcases made of higher i grade materials where the expense of an attached frame may not be undesirable, be permanently attached to the cover member.

The invention will be more fully described by reference to certain preferred forms of construction in accordance with it, these being illustrated in the attached drawings in which,

Figure l is a plan View of a blank in which the frame is divided into two parts and permanently attached to the cover member, the construction being suitable for a relatively high grade collapsible suitcase,

Figure 2 is a view showing the suitcase of Figure l partially set up,

Figures v2A and 2B are cross sections along the lines 2te-2a and 2in-2b respectively of Figure 2.

The cover member of Figure l includes a bottom section ID having a back wall section I I, two side wall sections I2 and I3 and a front wall section I4 connected thereto. Extending from the back wall section il are iiaps I5 and I6 and flaps il and I3, the latter being merely of the depth required for the cover of the suitcase. Connected to an outer edge of the side Wall section I2 is a flap Ila and connected to an outer edge of the side wall section i3 is a flap I 8a, these two iiaps carrying socket `portions I9 of dome fasteners. Connected to opposite side edges of the front wall it are ilaps i-ia and hib, and connected to an outer edge of this front wall section I4 is a flap 23, from side edges of which extend flaps 2l and 22. Connected `to an edge 0f the back section II opposite that connected to the bottom section lil is atop section 23, to an opposite edge of which is connected a top front section 24 and to side edges of which are connected top side sections 25 and 25. Flaps 2'I and 28 extend from side edges of the top front section 24, this section and the iiaps 2l and 28 being of the same height as the flaps Il and I3. Connected to an outer edge of the flap 24 is a ilap 29, fromopposite side edges of which extend naps 30 and 3l, these naps carrying dome portions 32 oi dome fasteners. Co-nnected along outer edges of the top side sections 25 and 26 are aps 33 and 34 respectively, which carry socket 4sections 33a of dome fasteners adapted to co-operate with the dome sections 32.

The frame for the suitcase illustrated is formed in two parts. One part 34 is composed of a back portion 35 and side portions 36 and 31 and the other part 43 is composed of a front portion 6I and side portions 42 and 43. The back portion 35 is attached to that area of the back wall section II lying between the dotted line 38 and .the edge of the back wall section connected to kthe bottom section I. The side portions 36 and 31 are attached to the flaps i5 and IS respectively but not to the iiaps II and I3. Dome portions 39 ci dome fasteners adapted to cooperate with the socket portions I3 are secured to the side frame portions 33 and 31 and to the flaps I5 and I3. The front portion 4I of the frame is attached to the front wall section I4 and the side portions 42 and 43 are attached to the -flaps Illa and I4b.

A handle 44 and a bottom portion 45 of a lock are secured through the front wall section I4 and the front frame portion 4|, another portion 46 of the lock being secured to the front top section 24.

The assembly of the suitcase is shown in Figure v 2. The front wall section I4 attached to the front frame portion 4| is -rst folded to stand up at right angles to the bottom section Il). The flap 2|) is then folded in to overlie the front frame portion 4| and the flaps 2| and 22 are folded to stand along the edges 41 and 48 of the bottom section I0. The flaps |4a and |4b carrying the side portions 42 and 43 of the frame are then folded in to lie immediately outside the flaps 2| and 22. IThe back wall section with the attached back frame portion 35 is then folded up in a manner similar to the front portion, the flaps I5 and I6 with the attached frame portions 3S and 31 being folded to lie immediately inside the flaps 2| and 22 respectively, these flaps being thus embraced by the side portions of the frame. Finally, the side wall sections I2 and I3 are folded up to lie outside the aps and side portions of the frame already referred to, and the iiaps Ila and |8a are folded in over the top of these flaps and frame portions to lie immediately against the inner surface of the side frame portions 36 and 3'I which carry the dome elements 39 of the dome fasteners. These dome elements may thus be engaged by the socket elements I9 on the flaps I' Vand I8. It will be appreciated that, when the suitcase is fully assembled the two parts 34 and 40 of the frame together provide a frame extending fully around all sides of the suitcase, provided onlythat the side portions 36 and 31 and 42, 43 are each at least somewhat morethan half as long as the side wall sections I-2 -and I3. This is essential but it is not essential that each side portion should, as shown, be

Y as long as the side wall sections.

An' analogous procedure to that just described is Yfollowed for the portions of the blank which constitute the lid of the suitcase as can clearly be'seen by reference to Figure 2. The difference isfthat in this case the order of folding of the iiaps is slightly altered so that the flaps 30 and 3| are innermost in order to allow the dome portions 32 of the dome fasteners to be engaged by the socket portions 33a carried by the flaps 33 and 34.

What I claim is:

l. A collapsible suitcase comprising a cover member' having a bottom section with a back wall section `and two side wall sections and a front wall section connected thereto, said front land side wall sections being of equal height, a top section connected to an edge of the back section opposite to that edge of the back section connected to the bottom section and having a top front section and top side sections connected thereto; a frame of substantially the. height of said front and side wall sections and having a back portion and side portions and a front portion, said portions being of lengths respectively substantially equal to the lengths of the correspending wall sections and being secured thereto, said side portions having separable type fastener elements mounted thereon, a flap connected to an outer edge of each of said side wall sections and having separable type fastener elements mounted thereon, said flaps being foldable down inside the side portions of said frame and detachably secured by said fastener elements t0 said frame side portions, and a iiap connected to an outer @des Off said. front wall section and foldable down inside the front portion of said frame; and a handle connected to said front wall section and said front portion.

2. A collapsible suitcase comprising a cover member having a bottom section, a back wall section connected to an edge of said bottom section, a pair of back side flaps extending from opposite side edges of said back wall section, a front wall section connected to said bottom section, said front and side wall sections being of equal height, a pair of front side flaps extending from opposite side edges of said front wall section, side wall sections connected to said bottom section, a flap connected to an outer edge of each of said side wall sections and having separable type fastener elements mounted thereon, and a top section connected to an edge of the back sectionopposite to that edge of the back section connected to the bottom section and having a top front section and top side sections connected thereto; a frame of substantially the height of said front and side wall sections and having a back portion attached to said back wall section', a front portion attached to said front wall section, and side portions attached to at least two of said side flaps, said side portions having separable type fasteners mounted thereon, said side wall connected aps being foldable down inside the side frame portions and detachably secured by said fastener elements to said side frame portions, and a flap connected to an outer edge of said front wall section and foldable down inside the front portion of said frame; and a handle connected to said front wall section and said front portion.

3. A collapsible suitcase according to claim 2, in which side portions of the frame are attached to all the side flaps.

4. A collapsible suitcase according to claim 2 in which theframe is composed of tvvo strips. one of said strips forming the back portion and two side portions and being attached to the back wall section and to the back side aps extending therefrom, and the other of said strips forming the front portion and two other side portions and being attached to the front wall section and to the front side flaps extending therefrom.

5. A collapsible suitcase according to claim 2 `1n which the ap connected to the outer edge of the front wall section has iiaps extending therefrom along its two side edges, said last mentioned aps being foldable along the sides of the suitcase when the latter is assembled, and in which side portions of the frame are attached to all the side flaps.

6. A collapsible suitcase according to claim 2 in which the back portion of the frame is attached only to a lower margin of the backY wall section, the resulting upper free margin of the back wall section forming a hinge wall for said top section, flaps extending from opposite edges of said hinge wall, flaps extending from opposite side edges of the top front section, all of said flaps beingfoldable along the top side sections when the suitcase is assembled, and a ap connected to an outer edge of each of said top side sections and foldable down inside said aps which are foldable along the top side sections when the suitcase is assembled. i

'7. A collapsible suitcase comprising a cover member having a bottom section, a back wall section connected to said bottom section, a pair of back side flaps extending from opposite side edges of said back wall section, a front wall section connected to said bottom section, a pair of front side flaps extending from opposite side edges 275 of said front Wall section, side Wall sections connected to said bottom section, said front and side wall sections being of equal height, a flap connected to an outer edge of each of said side wall sections, and a top section connected to an edge of the back section opposite to that edge of the back section connected to the bottom section and having a top front section and top side sections connected thereto; a collapsible frame of substantially the height of said front and side wall sections and having a back frame portion attached only to a lower margin of said back wall section, the resulting upper free margin of said back wall section forming a hinge-wall for saidy top section, a front frame portion attached to said front wall section, and side frame portions attached to all of said back and front side iiaps, said side frame portions also being foldable for erection from a ilat open condition to a frame condition in which latter condition substantial areas of said side frame portions lie in overlapping relationship; said side wall connected flaps being foldable down inside the side frame portions When erected; a flap connected to an outer edge of said front Wall section and foldable down inside said front frame portion when erected, said folded Iiaps maintaining said frame in erected condition; a pair of hinge-wall flaps extending from opposite side edges of said hingewall, a pair of top front side flaps extending from opposite side edges of the top front section, said hinge-wall flaps and said top front side aps being all foldable along said top side sections when the suitcase is assembled; a liap connected to an outer edge of each of said top side sections and foldable down inside said hinge-wall ilaps and said top front side flaps when folded in erected condition along said top side sections, said folded top side section flaps maintaining said hinge-Wall ilaps and said top front side flaps in erected condition; and a handle connected to said front wall section and said front frame portion.

JOSEPH HIRSCH VINEBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 959,261 Reber May 24, 1910 1,040,300 Fitzgerald Oct. 8, 1912 1,093,412 Hess Apr. 14, 1914 1,559,240 Fox Oct. 27, 1925 1,667,870 Peterson May 1, 1928 1,762,704 Smith June 10, 1930 1,906,622 Kondolf May 2, 1933 2,094,448 Evans Sept. 28, 1937 2,148,048 Gray Feb. 21, 1939 2,162,235 Vaughn June 13, 1939 2,319,919 Clark May 25, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 397,226 France May 3, 1909 7,271 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1912 803,146 France June 29, 1936 453,663 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1936 520,706 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1939 

